NO. 1 ALABAMA

Alabama began the 2016 season ranked No. 1 and stayed No. 1 until the final second of the CFP national championship game against Clemson. The next day, when media outlets began projecting the 2017, the vast majority had Alabama again at No. 1.

When the Associated Press released its preseason media poll on Aug. 21, Alabama was No. 1. Ditto for the coaches poll.

We should not be surprised because this marks the ninth straight time that Alabama under Nick Saban has been ranked No. 1 at some point during the season. Only Nebraska’s Tom Osborne, with four straight years at No. 1, is even in the conversation. The rest of this article is available to subscribers only – to become a subscriber click here.